UAD Powered Plug-Ins Manual - 281 - Chapter 25: LA-2A and 1176LN
CHAPTER 25
LA-2A and 1176LN
Overview
The LA-2A and 1176LN compressor/limiters long ago achieved classic sta-
tus. They're a given in almost any studio in the world – relied upon daily by
engineers whose styles range from rock to rap, classical to country and every-
thing in between. With so many newer products on the market to choose
from, it's worth looking at the reasons why these classics remain a necessary
part of any professional studio's outboard equipment collection.
The basic concept of a compressor/limiter, is of course, relatively simple. It's
a device in which the gain of a circuit is automatically adjusted using a pre-
determined ratio that acts in response to the input signal level. A compres-
sor/limiter “rides gain” like a recording engineer does by hand with the fader
of a console: it keeps the volume up during softer sections and brings it down
when the signal gets louder. The dynamic processing that occurs at ratios be-
low 10 or 12 to one is generally referred to as compression; above that it's
known as limiting.
Modern day compressors offer a great degree of programmability and flexi-
bility; older devices such as the 1176LN and the LA-2A are more straightfor-
ward in their design. Perhaps it is this fact that has contributed to their appeal-
ing sound and the longevity of their popularity.
Compressor Basics
Before discussing the LA-2A and 1176LN plug-ins, this section will cover
some compressor basics. A compressor automatically adjusts the gain of a
signal by a predetermined ratio. In a sense, a compressor “rides” gain—
much like a recording engineer does (by hand) with a fader—keeping the vol-
ume up during softer sections and bringing it down when the signal gets
louder.
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